Asian markets closed lower on Friday, May 30, the closing session for the week and for May. Japan's Nikkei index fell more than 450 points as Japanese government bond yields declined, but it maintained its weekly gains. Declining auto prices weighed on Chinese indices. Regarding economic data released this morning, figures released from Tokyo showed that core inflation, which excludes...
Australian retail sales fell 0.1% month-on-month in April, according to data released Thursday morning by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, to $37,208.4 million. This fell short of expectations for a 0.3% increase, while the index rose 3.8% year-on-year. In detail, food retail trade fell by about 0.3% to $38.3 million in April, while clothing, footwear, and accessories trade declined by...
The three major US stock indexes registered gains at the opening of trading today, Thursday, May 29, as risk appetite improved in the markets following a US court's decision to reject the tariff increase. The Nasdaq led the session's gains, gaining more than 1%, following Nvidia's better-than-expected first-quarter results. A panel of judges at the US Court of International Trade...
The minutes of the US Federal Reserve's two-week meeting, May 6-7, released at the end of trading on Wednesday, showed that many Fed members were concerned about the impact of tariffs on inflation and the rising likelihood of a recession. The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at its last meeting for the third consecutive time, with risks of...
Crude oil prices are recording some gains in mid-trading on Wednesday, May 28, after two consecutive sessions of decline since the beginning of the week, influenced by market expectations of a further increase from OPEC+ at its meeting early next week. Crude oil is benefiting today from Chevron's decision to ban crude exports from Venezuela and some additional factors amid...
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's (RBNZ) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to cut the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 3.35% at its meeting this morning, Wednesday, May 28, as expected, for the sixth consecutive meeting. The statement issued by the Bank indicated that annual consumer price inflation rose to 2.5% in the first quarter of...
New orders for durable goods fell in April after four consecutive months of growth, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau just moments ago. Orders fell by $19.9 billion, or 6.3%, to $296.3 billion, compared to a 7.6% increase in March. This indicator bested market expectations of a decline of about 7.6%. Meanwhile, core orders excluding transportation...
Yellow metal recorded declines of more than 1% in mid-trading on Tuesday, May 27, marking the second consecutive session of decline due to the rise of the US dollar, declining demand for safe-haven assets, and increased investor risk appetite stemming from increased optimism that the two largest trading partners will begin trade negotiations that could halt the tariff war. Gold...
European indices posted collective gains in the opening session of the week today, Monday, May 26, with markets absent in the United Kingdom, which is celebrating its spring break. Trump's remarks during the holiday supported the rise in European indices amid the absence of economic figures in the opening session. US President Donald Trump announced yesterday, Sunday, on the social...
Statistics Canada released data just moments ago showing retail sales rose 0.8% in March to $69.8 billion, following a revised 0.5% decline in February. Expectations were for a 0.6% increase, driven by a decline in motor vehicle and parts sales. Core retail sales, excluding gas stations and motor vehicle and parts sales, rose 0.2% in March. Sales rose in six...